Bob Ford

STAFF COLUMNIST

Bob Ford is an award-winning sports columnist for the Inquirer and Daily News. He is a four-time Pennsylvania Sportswriter of the Year, as selected by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association. His work has been cited numerous times by Associated Press Sports Editors judges, and he won an Eclipse Award for outstanding coverage of horse racing. Prior to becoming a columnist at the Inquirer, Ford was the 76ers beat writer for six seasons and then a general assignment feature writer with a specialty in Olympic sports. In 1995, he was designated a fellow of the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. Ford has written sports in the Philadelphia area since 1981, when he served as the Phillies beat writer and later as a general sports columnist for the Delaware County Daily Times.

From early indications, EagleWorld is a fractured, unhappy place after the confirmation on Saturday that one of the most beloved members of the team will be moving on.

Never knew you felt quite that strongly about Lito.

The Eagles made a very good deal for disgruntled cornerback Lito Sheppard, getting a 5th-round pick and a conditional pick the following season from the Jets that could be as high as a second-round pick. The market for unhappy cornerbacks isn't what it used to be.

As for the other outgoing transaction news, that Brian Dawkins had signed a deal with the Denver Broncos that nearly assures he won't be finishing his career in an Eagles uniform, that one is the one that stung fans.

According to a source within the negotiations, the Eagles offered Dawkins a two-year deal for pretty decent money, but the Broncos blew that one away with a five-year, $19 million offer.

The deal should really be viewed as a two-year deal, for a total of approximately $9.5 million, with $7.5 million guaranteed, according to the same source. That $7.5 million is guaranteed even if Dawkins plays just one season.

For Denver, which is trying to rebuild things, bringing in Dawkins as a conscience of the defense, a veteran who will be an example in the locker room, there are benefits to offering this very generous contract that extend off the field. The Broncos are overpaying, but they are counting on receiving more than just a football player.

It won't go down well among most fans, but this is probably more about what the Broncos did -- and what Dawkins decided for himself -- than what the Eagles did not do. I try to make that point, and a few random others, in a column in Sunday's Inquirer. I'm hardly a company man for the Eagles, but you can't kill them for this one.

Well, you can, because all is fair in EagleWorld, but this time it would be wrong.